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Abstract:

A wire marker is provided. A carrier strip includes a first layer having
at least one opening, two bands applied to opposite edges of the first
layer, the bands including an adhesive on at least one side, and a label
secured into the opening and attached to the adhesive. At least one
access perforation may be located on the first layer that is horizontal
and adjacent to one side of the opening. The access perforation
facilitates removal of the label from the carrier and allows for
insertion of a cable through the label. A plurality of horizontal carrier
perforations may further be located between each opening on the first
layer to facilitate removal of the carrier strip from a printer.

Claims:

1. A carrier strip comprising:a first layer having at least one
opening;two bands applied to opposite edges of the first layer, the bands
including an adhesive on at least one surface;a label secured into the
opening and attached to the adhesive; andat least one access perforation
located on the first layer that is horizontal and adjacent to one side of
the opening.

2. The carrier strip of claim 1 wherein the at least one opening comprises
a plurality of openings.

3. The carrier strip of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of carrier
perforations located between each opening.

4. The carrier strip of claim 1 wherein the opening has a rectangular
shape.

5. The carrier strip of claim 1 wherein the first layer is transparent.

6. The carrier strip of claim 1 wherein the adhesive is a pressure
sensitive adhesive.

8. The carrier strip of claim 1 wherein the label has a front side and a
back side, and includes printing on both sides.

9. The carrier strip of claim 1 wherein the label includes a tubing
perforation.

10. The carrier strip of claim 1 wherein the at least one access
perforation allows removal of the label from the adhesive.

11. The carrier strip of claim 1 wherein the at least one access
perforation allows insertion of a cable through the label.

12. A carrier strip comprising:a first layer having a plurality of
openings;two bands applied to opposite edges of the first layer, the
bands including an adhesive on at least one surface;a label secured into
the opening and attached to the adhesive; anda plurality of horizontal
carrier perforations located between each opening.

13. The carrier strip of claim 12 further comprising a plurality of access
perforations located on the first layer that are horizontal and adjacent
to one side of each opening.

14. The carrier strip of claim 13 wherein the access perforations allow
removal of the label from the adhesive.

15. The carrier strip of claim 13 wherein the access perforations allow
insertion of a cable through the label.

16. The carrier strip of claim 12 wherein the first layer is transparent.

17. The carrier strip of claim 12 wherein the opening has a rectangular
shape.

18. The carrier strip of claim 10 wherein the adhesive is a pressure
sensitive adhesive.

20. The carrier strip of claim 12 wherein the label has a front side and a
back side, and includes printing on both sides.

21. The carrier strip of claim 12 wherein the label includes a tubing
perforation.

Description:

BACKGROUND

[0001]1. Field of the Application

[0002]This application relates generally to labeling devices. More
particularly, the application relates to labeling devices used with
electronic printing devices.

[0003]2. Description of the Related Art

[0004]In devices or equipment, such as in airplanes, boats, computer
networks or equipment that contains many wires, cables, or other items
that may either get easily tangled or confused with other similar items,
it is necessary to label the wires, cables or groups of cables of wires.
Tags and marker assemblies have been designed to form labels for such
uses. Heat shrink technology has been employed in making these markers
and tags thereby permitting easy installation. Once applied, the labels
are difficult to remove.

[0005]Generally, a carrier strip of material containing a plurality of
markers is fed through a machine, whereby the markers will pass through a
printing station for imprinting images onto each marker. Previous designs
for carrying out the process utilize carrier strips that are bulky and
not adapted for use in different types of printers. Such carriers tend to
be stiff, which may cause the images printed on the markers to be
distorted. Further, the stiff material may not be easily moved through
the printer, since the carrier may have to negotiate curves or bends
within the assembly.

[0006]Likewise, stiffer material is generally more expensive to produce
and may need to be wider than necessary so that there is a sufficient
area to move and rotate the carrier. For instance, many current carrier
strip designs are track driven or use pin feeds for the carriers'
movement. This may require a wider strip, which also adds to the cost of
the material needed for producing the carrier strips.

[0007]A new carrier strip for a printing assembly is desired that will
provide the needed support for the labels, while providing a high degree
of flexibility for the carrier strip for use in printing machines. The
carrier strip should also allow the labels to be easily removed from the
carrier strip and allow for insertion of a cable through the label.

[0008]These as well as other aspects and advantages will become apparent
to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed
description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying
drawings. Further, it should be understood that the embodiments described
in this summary and elsewhere are intended to illustrate the invention by
way of example only.

SUMMARY

[0009]One embodiment of the present application meets the shortcomings of
the prior art by providing a carrier strip having a first layer with at
least one opening and two bands applied to opposite edges of the first
layer, the bands including an adhesive on at least one surface. The
carrier strip further includes a label secured into the opening and
attached to the adhesive. At least one access perforation is located on
the first layer that is horizontal and adjacent to one side of the
opening. The access perforation facilitates separation of the label from
the carrier strip and allows for insertion of a cable through the label.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described herein with
reference to the drawings, in which:

[0011]FIG. 1 is a front view of the carrier strip of the present
application;

[0014]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier strip of FIG. 1;

[0015]FIGS. 5A-5C show alternate embodiments of the carrier strip of FIG.
1;

[0016]FIG. 6 shows the carrier strip being folded in a first direction;
and

[0017]FIG. 7 shows the carrier strip being folded in a second direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018]Referring to FIG. 1, a carrier strip 10 for use in a labeling
assembly (not shown) is provided. The carrier strip 10 includes film 12
which in one embodiment is a clear, transparent film. The film 12 allows
for printer registration directly onto each individual marker, which
produces a precise print location and minimal waste when starting a print
job. Furthermore, printers that utilize an optical sensor for print
registration will detect the opacity difference between the clear film
and an opaque label 22, which will be described in detail below. The film
12 may be made of plastic, or any other flexible material, such as paper
or card stock, for example.

[0019]Preferably, the carrier strip 10 further includes at least one die
cut opening 14, as best seen in FIG. 2. The carrier strip 10 may include
a plurality of die cut openings 14. The die cut openings 14 may be
rectangular in shape. Alternatively, the openings 14 may be any other
suitable shape that allows for two-sided printing.

[0020]Two bands 16, 18 are applied on opposite edges of the film 12 on the
carrier strip 10, as shown in FIG. 2. The bands 16, 18 may be secured to
the film 12 by adhesive 20, such as pressure sensitive adhesive, which is
located on at least one surface of each band 16, 18. The adhesive 20 may
be applied to only one surface of each of the bands 16, 18 to allow for
easy removal of the wire marker, which is described in detail below, or
insertion of a wire or cable while the wire marker is still located on
the carrier strip 10. The bands 16, 18 are placed onto the carrier strip
10 so that a small amount of non-transferable adhesive 20 is exposed on
the side edges of die cut openings 14, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0021]The carrier strip 10 further includes a plurality of labels 22 which
are secured into the die cut openings 14 by adhering to the exposed
adhesive 20. The labels 22 may be flattened tubing or plates. FIG. 4
shows a cross-section of the carrier strip 10. The labels 22 may be
opaque so a printer having an optical sensor can detect the difference
between the clear carrier strip 10 and the opaque labels 22. The labels
22 may be clear or transparent if the carrier strip 10 is opaque, or both
the labels 22 and the carrier strip 10 may be opaque if an aperture or
other marking is used to create an opacity difference. The labels 22 may
each optionally include a vertical tubing perforation 24 to allow the
labels 22 to be divided into smaller pieces. As shown in FIGS. 5A-5C, any
number of tubing perforations 24 may be used to divide the labels 22.

[0022]The labels 22 may then be printed on a front side 26 and/or a back
side 28 with identification information, such as for wires, cables, etc.
The label 22 may then be removed from the carrier strip 10 to form a
marker. Marker access perforations 30 facilitate the removal of the label
22 from the carrier strip 10 and allow for insertion of a cable through
the label. The marker access perforations 30 may be located on the film
12. The marker access perforations 30 are preferably positioned
horizontal and adjacent to the ends of the die cut openings 14, as shown
in FIG. 1. Folding the carrier strip 10 along the marker access
perforations 30 in one direction causes the label 22 to peel away from
the adhesive 20 at one side, presenting an edge that may be gripped for
marker removal, as shown in FIG. 6. Folding the carrier strip 10 along
the marker access perforations 30 in a second direction causes the label
22 to open and allow the insertion of a cable through the label 22, as
shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0023]The carrier strip 10 may further include carrier perforations 32,
which are preferably horizontal and located in areas between die cut
openings 14. The carrier perforations 32 facilitate the separation of a
print job from the roll without the need for scissors or another cutting
instrument.

[0024]In operation, a printer (not shown) prints wire information onto a
carrier strip 10. When the carrier strip 10 comes out of the printer, a
user separates the carrier strip from the roll by pulling the strip apart
at a carrier perforation 32. The user then folds the carrier strip 10
along a marker access perforation 30 to loosen the label 22 from the
adhesive 20, presenting an edge that may be gripped for removal. The user
may then easily peel the printed label 22, or marker, from the carrier
strip 10. The wire marker may then be applied to a cable or wire, or a
group of cables or wires. Alternatively, folding the carrier strip 10
along a marker access perforation 30 may open the label 22 and allow
insertion of a cable through the label 22.

[0025]While certain features and embodiments of the present application
have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the
application encompasses all modifications and enhancements within the
scope and spirit of the following claims.